Gathering Assorted Items of Baseball History and Trivia

This is a story from the Boise Daily Statesman of June 30, 1907, that I think I found in a book on Boise’s baseball history a few years ago, and scanned and put aside for quite a while. It said:

KID JOHNSON SMASHES WORLD’S RECORD FOR PITCHING
Weiser Twirler Chucks 75 Innings Without Score Made Against Him
HIS RECORD FOR THE SEASON TO DATE
Accepts Offer to Join Washington, D.C., American League Team But Remains with Weiser to End of State League Season

WEISER, June 29. The wonderful record of Walter Johnson, the Kids’ twirler, started last year when he was with Weiser in the state league and which Johnson continued with such remarkable success this year, has attracted the attention of ball players and managers all over the country and the offer of Joe Cantillion, manager of the Washington, D.C., American league team, is only one of many the phenomenal youth has received of late.

With his record of shut out games this season, Johnson has smashed to smithereens the world’s record for pitching. He has pitched 75 innings without a run having been made against him. The former record was 54 innings. Some may not consider this remarkable because of the fact that Johnson has not pitched against the big leaguers. This fact does not in any way make Johnson’s record less remarkable. No matter who is batting him the record would stand the same.

In the 75 innings 230 men faced Johnson. The complete record of Johnson for the entire season is as follows: He has struck out 166 batters; is credited with 18 base hits out of 37 times at bat, assisted 26 times and has 8 putouts to his credit. He has not made an error and only five runs have been made by his opponents. Twenty-five base hits have been made off his pitching during the season to date.

Walter Johnson was born at lola, Kan., and is 19 years of age. He is six feet and two-fifths of an inch in height in his stocking feet and weighs 180 pounds. His home is at Fullerton, Cal., where he attends school. His first ball playing away from home was with the Weiser team last season.

Johnson has frowned on a number of good offers received lately and unlike many young pitchers who, through their eagerness to get into the big leagues have spoiled bright prospects for a successful career, turned them all down, concluding that it would be better for him to get more of such experience as he is now getting before meeting the big hitters. But Joe Cantillion sent a man from Washington [D.C.] to persuade Johnson to go to the national capital and Johnson has decided to go and take a chance with the big fellows. He will probably not be pitched in a regular game this season, but will be carefully coached, it is likely, during the remainder of the season and put in the game next year.

Johnson will be with Weiser through the remainder of the Idaho State league’s
season, which closes July 14.